Under The Radar - World War Parking

By Francis White

I couldn't imagine residents in Amherst, Williamsville, Orchard Park, Grand Island, or any other suburban Buffalo NY enclave having to appeal to law makers to have the right to park in front of their own residences, that's like asking Smaug for some of his gold, or trying to get your bike back from D' Bo - it's not going to happen. But, in the inner city Fruitbelt neighborhood of Buffalo, long time residents are tired of getting "Punk'd" for their parking spaces.

There's been a conflict that's been brewing in this neighborhood under the radar for a little while, workers at the nearby Buffalo Niagara, Medical Campus have been using neighborhood streets to park on when parking on the medical campus itself is unavailable. This leaves no room for long time neighborhood residents to park, and this is a problem.

The medical campus brings in nearly 15,000 people a day into this historic Buffalo neighborhood, but there has been no reasonable compromise reached on this issue (and some others) for the new community to coexist with the community that has already been living there for a long time. This is one of the things that could happen when super car culture meets car culture.

Groups like the Fruit Belt/McCarley Gardens Housing Task Force are tired of it and they're asking you to call NYS Senator Patrick Gallivan(518) 455-3471 and Senator John Flanagan (518) 455-2071 and ask them to bring bill number is 5306C to the floor. This would allow the City of Buffalo to make a parking permit program in the Fruitbelt neighborhood so that residents can park their cars in front of their own homes.